WASHINGTON – United States President Joe Biden has sent invitations toaround 110 countries including Pakistan for the Summit for Democracy to beheld virtually in December.
The US State Department has shared the listlink ofinvitees to the summit scheduled for December 9-10. The current mix ofinvitees includes liberal democracies, weaker democracies, and severalstates with authoritarian rule.
However, the Biden administration has invited China, its arch-rival,Turkey, and several others countries.
According to the breakdown of the invitations, European Union leads theworld where 39 nations have received invitations, followed by 27 inviteesfrom the Western Hemisphere. The Asia Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africaregions received twenty-one and seventeen invitations, respectively.
On the other hand, fewer countries have been invited from the Middle Eastand North Africa and South and Central Asia. From Central Asia, Pakistan,India, Maldives and Nepal has obtained the invitations to the virtualsummit.
On December 9-10, 2021, President Biden will host the virtual summit forleaders from government, civil society, and the private sector. The summitwill focus on challenges and opportunities facing democracies and willprovide a platform for leaders to announce both individual and collectivecommitments, reforms, and initiatives to defend democracy and human rightsat home and abroad.
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For the United States, the summit will offer an opportunity to listen,learn, and engage with a diverse range of actors whose support andcommitment is critical for global democratic renewal. It will also showcaseone of democracy’s unique strengths: the ability to acknowledge itsimperfections and confront them openly and transparently, so that we may,as the United States Constitution puts it, “form a more perfect union.”
Leaders will be encouraged to announce specific actions and commitments tomeaningful internal reforms and international initiatives that advance theSummit’s goals.
These pledges will include domestic and international initiatives thatcounter authoritarianism, combat corruption, and promote respect for humanrights.
